Coupling devices are typically used for providing fluid ports to medical devices and used for transferring medical substances between, for example, devices such as containers and/or for drug administering from a container to a patient. An example of a use is the use of the coupling device together with an infusion bag, which in the following will be described for illuminating purposes.
Infusion bags are used for intravenous delivery of fluids and medically effective substances to human beings and animals. For this reason, the infusion bag is provided with an outlet through which fluid may flow to a component connected to the patient, such as a cannula or the like, and further into the body of the patient. When preparing the fluids which are to be administrated to the body from the infusion bag, a usual method is that medically effective substances are supplied to a pre-sealed infusion bag which is filled with a transport fluid, such as a sodium chloride solution or a glucose solution. The preparation is performed by injecting the medically effective substance via an inlet into the bag.
For accomplishing the desired transferring of fluid a combined inlet and outlet of the infusion bag together with the coupling device which is denoted “injection spike” or just “spike” are often used.
The spike has a needle-formed piercing member by means of which a bather, membrane or septum arranged in a narrow passage of the infusion bag, constituting inlet/outlet of the infusion bag, may be penetrated so that the infusion bag may be opened towards two channels arranged in the spike when the spike is introduced in the inlet/outlet of the infusion bag. One of the channels is intended for conveyance of fluid in a direction from the infusion bag towards the patient and the other channel is intended for injection of medical substances into the infusion bag. In the other end of the spike are members arranged at the mouths of the channels for connection to other components, such as flexible tubes for conveyance of the fluid further to the patient and cannulas for the injection of medical substances to the infusion bag.
WO 2004/004806 A1 discloses such a spike for transferring medical substances and fluids to and from infusion bags.
WO2003/086529 discloses a device for mixing medical fluids and for introducing substances into an infusions system. The device is composed of two portions. The first portion is made of a thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene (PP), polycarbonate (PC) or Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer (ABS polymer). The second portion is made of an elastomeric polymer material or a synthetic rubber material.
In view of the known coupling devices, there is a need to provide an improved and/or alternative coupling device, which provides a fluid port to medical devices, while being easy and safe to use for a long-term period.